20 American TV shows that were adapted from foreign series

If you are as obsessed with The Traitors as other reality TV fanatics, there’s good news. The Traitors is not a United States original. It’s based on a Dutch series that translates to the same name, and there are versions of it all around the world. 

The United States has the Netherlands to thank for many of its most iconic reality series. Big Brother was adapted from a Dutch series of the same name. They really know how to make reality TV shows over there. 

We were not kidding when we said that Dutch people know reality TV. The Netherlands also originated the series Fear Factor. In some ways, we have the Dutch to thank (or blame, depending on your perspective) for The Joe Rogan Experience . 

Though it wasn’t inspired by a Dutch series, Survivor, another incredibly popular series in the United States, didn’t originate here. Survivor is based on a show called Robinson that started in Sweden. 

Ugly Betty was a sensation in the mid-2000s, sending America Ferrera into the mainstream. But the series didn’t start in the United States. It’s actually based on a Colombian telenovela that translates to "I am Betty, the Ugly One."

Speaking of telenovelas, Jane the Virgin isn’t an American original, either. The popular series is based on a telenovela that translates to the same name that started in Venezuela.

Just in case you didn’t know, The Office also isn’t a United States original. Though the U.S. version is widely considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time, the concept comes from the U.K. series of the same name. The pilots are nearly identical. 

Yes, sadly, some teens in another country’s television universe are experiencing the same twisted fates as those in Euphoria. The HBO teen drama is based on an Israeli miniseries of the same name. 

The United States has gotten multiple television series ideas from Israel, apparently. The Clare Danes hit show Homeland was also adapted from an Israeli series. Over there, it’s called Prisoners of War. 

The United States has been finding inspiration from other countries for decades. The hit sitcom All in the Family was adapted from the British sitcom Till Death Do Us Part. Like other United States adaptations, though, All in the Family ran for much longer than Till Death Do Us Part. 

The United States isn’t the only country with criminals at large. The concept for America’s Most Wanted started in Germany with a series title that translates to "Case Number XY… Unsolved." The show has been running in Germany since 1967. 

Americans love Power Rangers, but the series wasn’t an American idea. The series is based on a Japanese program called Super Sentai, and Super Sentai is just as popular in Japan as Power Rangers is in America. 

We’ve got countries across Asia to thank for a lot of our most popular TV series in America. The Masked Singer is based on a reality competition program that first aired in South Korea. The title there translates to "King of Mask Singer." 

Rake didn’t run for long, but its viewers were major fans. The series was based on an Australian program of the same name, and it fared much better in its original country than in the United States. 

You’ve likely seen clips of The Voice in other countries thanks to so many American singers working as judges. But did you know that The Voice actually originated in another country? It’s based on a Dutch show called The Voice of Holland. 

American Idol wasn’t an American’s idea, either. The series is based on Pop Idol, which first started in the United Kingdom. If it weren’t for the Brits, we might not have The Kelly Clarkson Show . 

Shameless is a wildly successful drama series in the United Kingdom. It’s also a wildly successful drama series in the United States. And which came first? You guessed it, the U.K.’s version. 

Three’s Company is also based on a sitcom from the United Kingdom. Over there, the series is called Man About the House, and it didn’t run for nearly as long in the U.K. as it did in the United States. 

Americans like to think that British people aren’t funny, but some of our best comedy series were first made in the United Kingdom. Whose Line Is It Anyway? is one such show, and the series is still airing in the U.K.

The United States definitely doesn’t have a monopoly on reality dating shows — not even those that follow farmers looking for love. Farmer Wants a Wife is based on a show of the same name originating in the United Kingdom.